tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air. the flooding emergency. city streets washed away in parts of the northeast. more storms now coming. the homes collapsing into a ravine in california. and the urgent manhunt across state lines in the northeast. what they've now revealed tonight, and the new image here. first, the stunning pictures coming in from vermont. water rushing through towns. dozens of roads closed. entire communities cut off. a train trestle collapsing. the tracks dangling over a ravine. and the extremes across the u.s. tonight.

the record heat in the southwest, from texas to florida, too. just a short time ago, phoenix now hitting 110 degrees for a 12th day in a row. janai norman and ginger zee in the storm zone. in california, meanwhile, at this hour, all eyes on a massive landslide, destroying or condemning at least 12 homes already. they are now worried about 16 more homes. the ground shifting. what's driving this? the urgent manhunt right now in the northeast across state lines for that dangerous murder suspect. tonight here, the new image. the sheets he used to escape, and what they're now looking at. the suspected killer and where they think he could be. alex presha reporting. president biden on the world stage. the nato summit. and now president zelenskyy is there, furious that ukraine is being denied nato membership. biden and zelenskyy now set to meet tomorrow. and what the white house is saying tonight. elizabeth schulze is there. the republican senator under fire tonight for what he said about white nationalists. our rachel scott asking senator

tommy tuberville, are white nationalists racists? what he's saying now. the four-year case involving aretha franklin's handwritten notes, found in her couch. do they count as her will? what a jury decided late today. the breaking headline this afternoon. charles manson follower leslie van houten released from prison. also just in tonight, the hours-long standoff with police at caesars palace in las vegas. a couple barricaded, a man seen throwing furniture from an upper floor. what we've just learned tonight. the united flight from houston diverted to chicago. what a business class passenger allegedly did. and america strong tonight. the 4-year-old and the big catch. you have to see it. >> david: good evening, and it's great to have you with us here on a very busy tuesday night. the urgent manhunt in the

northeast across state lines, the new images, and what authorities are now saying. but we do begin tonight with the catastrophic flooding in the northeast. vermont under a state of emergency tonight. some of the worst flooding in nearly 100 years. the capital of vermont tonight under water. shut down most of the day. authorities fearing a nearby dam may not hold. vermont governor phil scott tonight calling the devastation, quote, historic and catastrophic. eight inches of rain in just hours. the city still deemed not safe for public travel. a driver trapped in his car as the waters there washed it away. the wrightsville dam nearing capacity at this hour as the water levels continue to rise. and to the south in ludlow, vermont, these train tracks on an active freight line, look at this, now suspended 100 feet in the air after the earth beneath them was washed away. tonight, a short break before more storms hit yet again. ginger zee with the forecast timing this out. but first, abc's janai norman from vermont tonight.

>> reporter: tonight, raging rivers from record-breaking storms bringing new danger to millions. >> make no mistake, the devastation and flooding we're experiencing across vermont is historic and catastrophic. >> reporter: vermont's capital city, montpelier, inundated overnight with up to eight inches of rain. cars floating down streets, windows of businesses looking more like fish tanks. the water nearly as high as the city's parking meters. by noon, swift water teams ferrying well over 100 residents to dry land. >> in many areas, the water conditions remain too dangerous for rescue by boat. >> reporter: after the winooski river crested at a near record 21 feet overnight, officials now watching the nearly full wrightsville dam. abc's jaclyn lee is there. >> this dam was built after floods inundated montpelier nearly 100 years ago. since then, they never had to worry about it overflowing, until now. if it does, officials say there

is no precedent for potential damage. >> reporter: heavy, visible damage from the air from southern vermont to new hampshire. the ski town of ludlow now caked in heavy mud. these train tracks, part of an active railway for freight trains, left hanging in the air after rains washed the ground away. the storms also leaving a trail of destruction throughout new york state. in hard-hit orange county, officials estimate the damage in the tens of millions. military officials at west point assessing damage to roads and bridges in the area. some parts of the state got more than two months worth of rain in a single day.vi i got to show y this water line. it shows just how high those flood waters rose here in downtown montpelier. officials have just recently lifted the emergency order banning travel in this area, but you can hear those emergency sirens, david. they are still warning many areas are still not safe, and more storms are on the way, expected thursday through the

weekend, david. >> david: and certainly be careful where you walk there. janai norman leading us off from the capital of vermont. janai, thank you. let's get right to chief meteorologist ginger zee tracking it all again tonight. and of course, the dangerous heat, too, across several states. but first, ginger, these floods, the pictures from janai there in the northeast, a short break, you told us, but then more storms coming? >> reporter: yes, i mean, cindy beyers and her neighbors were getting new water heaters today, just in time for more rain to end the week and start the weekend. let's talk about where it's going to come from. the same storm is damaging wind threat for rapid city, down to omaha. by tomorrow, chicago to st. louis. watch for those gusts above 70 miles per hour. easily take down trees and power lines. then it moves thursday night into new england. and unfortunately leaves behind anywhere from two to even five inches, can you imagine, on top of almost 500% of normal for this month already. then, we've got to talk about that heat. we have been broiling in so many parts of the country. there are 13 states on alert tonight.

a place like phoenix that made it to its 12th day of 110-plus. people say, come on, phoenix does this all the time -- it looks like they will go and surpass 18 days in a row, which is a record, goes back about a century. david? >> david: wow. 18 days in a row, 110 or more. ginger zee with us again, thank you. we also continue to follow that stunning scene in california's los angeles county. a major landslide. at least 12 homes already destroyed or condemned. many falling, collapsing into a ravine there. they're now watching at least 16 more homes tonight. here's our chief national correspondent matt gutman on the scene for us again. >> reporter: tonight, investigators searching for the cause of this catastrophic landslide near los angeles. home after home crumbling into the canyon in the rolling hills estates. you can hear this home's foundation cracking. a slow-moving disaster that officials say can't be stopped. >> the last two or three days, it's been what you might call a little dramatic. buildings changing positions, degrees of angle. popping. >> reporter: the ground started

shifting saturday, moving 20 feet in 24 hours. just two days ago, the garage here was level with the street. now it's 16 feet down, and there is a fissure that runs through the top of this neighborhood. it has taken out home after home after home. ten homes destroyed, 12 total condemned, 16 other homes being monitored. as the city prepares for disaster declaration, david, state geologists tell me that record rains this year have unleashed thousands of landslides, and it's often the biggest ones that take the longest to form, which is why there's concern of additional landslides here in the coming months. david? >> david: matt gutman on the watch again tonight. thank you. this evening, authorities are warning the public in parts of pennsylvania and beyond that it's now day five of this urgent manhunt for an escaped murder suspect. tonight here, the new image of the sheets he used to escape, and what they're now tracking, dna, hoping to come up with a trail. and where they think he could be. abc's alex presha in warren, pennsylvania, again tonight for us.

>> reporter: tonight, the first image of the makeshift rope made out of bedsheets murder suspect michael burham used to break out of this pennsylvania jail. authorities say there have been numerous sightings in the last 24 hours. the manhunt in day five. authorities investigating tips in six states, using dna testing to see if recent burglaries and break-ins in the area are connected to burham. the police chief here in warren, pennsylvania, confirming to abc news, telling "the times" observer, a local paper, that their investigation has found evidence of an "extensive amount of preparation." he told the paper it took 60 to 90 minutes for officers to obtain footage from exterior cameras that showed burham running through residents' yards towards the woods, giving the self-taught survivalist a head start. >> we continue to find items.

those lead me to believe that there's still a likelihood that he is here. >> reporter: david, tonight, the reward for information leading to an arrest has more than doubled to $19,500. there are more than 200 officers now involved in this manhunt for michael burham. david? >> david: alex presha reporting. thank you, alex. overseas tonight, and to president biden on the world stage at the nato summit in lithuania. president zelenskyy is now there, too, and angry today that ukraine is not being invited to join nato. and now biden and zelenskyy will meet tomorrow. what the white house is saying about this tonight. abc's elizabeth schulze traveling with the president in lithuania. >> reporter: tonight, president biden and nato countries making it official, declaring ukraine won't be admitted to the alliance just yet, but pledging united support in the fight against russia. >> i still think that president putin thinks the way he succeeds is to break nato. not going to do that. >> reporter: the 31 nato countries writing in an official statement, "we will be in a position to extend an invitation to ukraine to join the alliance when allies agree and when conditions are met."

it comes despite enormous pressure from ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy, who earlier today called it "unprecedented and absurd" that nato hasn't laid out a timeframe for membership, criticizing "vague wording about conditions," and adding, "uncertainty is weakness." zelenskyy arriving here in lithuania today to make his case in person, greeted by a crowd of thousands. declaring, "nato will give ukraine security. ukraine will make nato stronger." president biden insists nato's core value that an attack on one is an attack on all means admitting ukraine would put the u.s. and its allies on a collision course with vladimir putin. >> as president biden noted, bringing ukraine into the alliance now, here in vilnius, would bring nato into war with russia. >> david: let's bring in elizabeth schulze with me again tonight from vilnius, list wayna. and elizabeth, president biden,

of course, sitting down with president zelenskyy, they'll meet tomorrow. despite zelenskyy's anger today, the white house telling you tonight their message will be one of unity? >> reporter: david, that's right. despite president zelenskyy's criticism, national security adviser jake sullivan tells me that the meeting here with president biden tomorrow is an opportunity to highlight how the u.s. is the leading partner with ukraine in its fight against russia, providing critical military and economic support. david? >> david: elizabeth schulze reporting again tonight. elizabeth, thank you. meantime, back here in the u.s., and tonight, the republican senator under fire after what he said about white nationalists, calling them americans. our rachel scott pressing that senator today, tommy tuberville of alabama. are white nationalists racists? what he told her, and then, what he said late today. >> reporter: tonight, senator tommy tuberville under fire for refusing to say whether white nationalists are racists. this is what he said in may, calling them americans. >> do you believe they should allow white nationalists in the military? >> well, they call them that. i call them americans. >> reporter: overnight, when

asked to clarify, the alabama republican doubled down. >> my opinion of a white nationalist, if somebody wants to call them a white nationalist, to me is an american. is an american. >> reporter: democrats calling his words dangerous. >> this isn't a joke. this is deadly serious stuff. and for a member of the united states senate to speculate about what white nationalism means, as if it's some benign little thought experiment, is deeply and terribly disturbing. >> reporter: today, i pressed the senator. can you explain why you continue to insist that white nationalists are american? >> listen, i'm totally against racism. and if democrats want to say that white nationalists are racist, i'm totally against that, too. >> reporter: but that's not a democratic definition, the definition of a white nationalist is somebody -- >> well, that's your definition. my definition is racism is bad. >> reporter: it is the definition -- >> next question. >> reporter: the definition -- >> next question. >> reporter: the definition is

that -- >> racism is totally out of the question. next question. >> reporter: -- the white race is superior to all other races. >> racism is totally out of the question. next question. >> reporter: so, do you believe that white nationalists are racist? >> yes, if that's what a racist is, yes. >> reporter: and two hours later, under repeated questioning, the senator changing his tone from his comments in may, telling reporters point blank, "white nationalists are racist." >> white nationalists are racist. >> reporter: that reversal from senator tuberville not only coming after he faced repeated questions from reporters here on capitol hill, but also after republicans clearly distanced themselves from his comments. senate minority leader mitch mcconnell saying white supremacy is simply unacceptable. now to former president trump, and tonight, his lawyers are filing a formal request for a lengthy delay in the federal trial over his handling of classified documents. his lawyers now arguing the extraordinary nature of the case means there is no reason, they say, to hurry the trial, and suggesting it could not be possible to conduct this trial before the 2024 election. the request will be an early

test of judge aileen cannon, who has ruled in favor of the former president in the past. we turn now to the case involving music legend aretha franklin. a four-year battle, two sons in a battle over her handwritten notes found in her couch. should they be considered her will, her final wishes? what a jury in michigan decided today. and here's abc's erielle reshef now. >> reporter: it was a four-year legal battle over aretha franklin's handwritten notes found in her couch. documents appearing to contain how her estate should be decided. tonight, after deliberating for just over an hour, a michigan jury finding that those scribbled notes, signed with a smiley face, and dated 2014, could be considered her valid will. initially, the family thought they she hadn't left her final wishes. >> i think it's a great thing. i think that she would be very happy and she's proud right now. that her wishes have been adhered to. >> reporter: since her death, two sons have been pitted against a third.

what's still unclear is if notes from an earlier handwritten document in 2010 should be part of the consideration moving forward. months after her passing, both of the documents were found by franklin's niece in the singer's home. giving franklin's sons equal rights to royalties. but the most recent handwritten notes will now give her youngest son and his grandchildren, her home. over her decades-long career, franklin, known for being paid in cash, put in her purse. and late in her career, just three years before her death, a poignant performance at the kennedy center honors, honoring carole king. ♪ looking out ♪ ♪ on the morning rain ♪ ♪ i used to feel ♪ ♪ so uninspired ♪ ♪ and when i knew ♪ ♪ i had to face another day ♪ ♪ lord, it made me feel so

tired ♪ >> reporter: david, that quick verdict bringing this legal battle closer to resolution, but it's now up to a judge to decide whether that 2014 will should supercede the 2010 will in part or entirely. david? >> david: the family battle, but i'm glad you played that music, as well, from that kennedy center performance. that was something. thank you, erielle. tonight, from california, the major headline in a notorious case. charles manson follower leslie van houten has been released from prison. convicted of killing two people back in 1969. she served a 53-year sentence. now 73, she joined the manson cult when she was just 19. governor gavin newsom choosing not to fight an appeals court ruling granting her parole. charles manson died in prison back in 2017. when we come back here tonight, the remarkable images coming in from las vegas. the hours-long standoff at caesars palace. a couple barricaded, a man seen throwing furniture from an upper floor. you'll see it, and what we've learned tonight. eps flaring, put it in check with rinvoq,

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rival liv golf. during today's senate hearing, senator richard blumenthal suggesting the surprise deal is all about money, and that it ignores saudi arabia's human rights record, the murder of jamal khashoggi, and alleged ties to 9/11. pga tour c.o.o. ron price defending the pending deal, saying the pga tour was left with no choice. >> which is our core mission, has been under threat for the better part of two years. when the saudi-funded liv golf tour launched its inaugural series in 2022, the tour faced an unprecedented attack. >> 9/11 families attending today's hearing, calling this deal a gut punch. when we come back here tonight, the 4-year-old boy, and quite literally, the catch of the day.

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finally tonight here, the little fisherman who is definitely america strong. >> i got one! >> you got a big one. >> keep going. keep going, reel it in! >> i got a big one! >> david: in denmark, maine, on moose pond, on a hot summer day, 4-year-old west fishing for the very first time. watch as west feeling something bite. >> ah! ah! >> david: his first catch. his family cheering him on. >> it's a big one! you caught a huge fish! >> wow! that's a good one! >> david: proud of his catch, the high fives. >> high five. >> david: and before letting go, west saying good-bye. >> bye. >> bye. >> david: tonight, his family telling us, west reminds us all not to take any small moments for granted. we should all try to see life through the eyes of a child once

in awhile, they told us. and tonight, that family saying west is already planning to fish again. >> what? >> david: soon fishing again. he caught the bug, and the fish. good night. >> tonight the latest on what could be a hazardous situation near the martinez refinery following the release of a material into the air. it is not the first time this has happened. >> we want them to be successful. we are setting them up for success. >> a $100,000 boost to local businesses is all about building a better bay area. >> tracking intense and dangerous heat ahead. i will show you those temperatures. abc 7 news at 6:00 starts now. >> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. >> soon turn into dangerously high

temperatures but not if you know what to do. >> thanks for joining us. >> you have probably noticed the warmer temperatures today and they are going to keep rising to unhealthy high levels this weekend. it is a concern for firefighters like those in the north bay who battled his fire this afternoon. here is time lapse of smoke from the hog fire which burned eight acres outside cloverdale along highway 128. firefighters on the ground and in the air stopped it from spreading further. >> we have live team coverage on the weather and its impact. leslie brinkley is in one of the hottest parts of the bay area. let's hear from sandhya patel. >> let's talk about this excessive and extreme heat that is ahead. we have an excessive heat watch covering all inland areas from 11:00 a.m. friday 10:00 p.m. sunday. that is going to be the duration of the intensity of this heat that could bring